Who is Stephen Colbert? That’s the million-dollar question that Colbert himself hopes to answer as the new host of “The Late Show.” Taking over for David Letterman, who helmed the show for 22 years, Colbert sees the importance of recognizing the talent which came before him. In his opening show, the new host paid tribute to Letterman, saying, “The comedy landscape is so thickly planted by the forest of Dave’s ideas that we sometimes need to remind ourselves just how tall he stands.”

Despite having such big shoes to fill, Colbert’s first show as host of “The Late Show” attracted 6.55 million viewers, beating out all other late shows that night. Colbert is no stranger to

attracting large audiences, however. For the last nine years he hosted the incredibly popular “The Colbert Report,” playing a self-important, right-wing political pundit.

Many were worried about Colbert’s suitability to host “The Late Show” and rightly so. No one had seen the real Stephen Colbert minus his ever-present, pundit character before. Thankfully, Colbert is no stranger to himself or these fears and put his best face forward last Tuesday night as he revealed himself to be a down-to-earth and genuine guy.

In perhaps a nod to the patriotic nature of his previous character, the comedian opened “The Late Show” by singing the national anthem set against a backdrop of American monuments, pastimes and the working class. He then introduced us to his new home, giving us a tour of the set which includes all kinds of memorabilia and gags to be used in upcoming shows.

In what was perhaps the highlight of the night, besides his ridiculous promotion of Sabra brand hummus, Colbert did a bit where for each Donald Trump story he covered, he treated himself to an Oreo, before indulging himself by practically drowning himself in cookies.

Colbert rounded out the evening by welcoming his first guests, George Clooney and presidential candidate Jeb Bush onto the show for a chat.

Throughout the night there was an air of authenticity to Colbert’s material and his antics. This authenticity was keenly felt Thursday night when the host sat down with Vice President Joe Biden for a lengthy conversation. The conversation quickly veered from the comedic to the serious as both Biden and Colbert reminisced about their deceased family members. Biden recently lost his son, while two of Colbert’s brothers and father died in a plane crash when he was younger. It was immediately apparent that this conversation would not serve as an opportunity to promote political agenda but would instead be an intimate conversation between two people.

It is this tact and Colbert’s inventive comedic vision that already make him look like a natural.If you’re thinking about catching some late night television, consider tuning in to “The Late Show.” Colbert will be inviting guests Stephen Curry, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump among others to the show next week.